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New Castle County, Delaware: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in New Castle County is 152.4 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Bladder deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate and Pancreas deaths at 1.1 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,189 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Air permit holder (minor source) (179), Rail grade crossing (158), Gas station (mapped facility) (142). 5 correctional facilities operate in the county, at least one with health-based drinking water violations on record. EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 40 in a million, driven mainly by formaldehyde.

Rates are age-adjusted per 100,000 people. A cancer signal is marked significant when the lower bound of its 95 percent confidence interval is above the U.S. rate. Facility counts use active federal records located inside the county boundary. Approximate county center: 39.5648, -75.6744.

How this county ranks in Delaware

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Cancer deaths and new cases versus the United States

Source: NCI and CDC State Cancer Profiles, both sexes, all ages. Sorted by the ratio of the county rate to the U.S. rate.

Cancer rates for New Castle County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Bladder	Deaths	5	4.1	1.22xSignificant	4.3 to 5.8	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	3.2	2.7	1.19x	2.6 to 3.9	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	21.7	18.7	1.16xSignificant	20.2 to 23.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.8	11.3	1.13xSignificant	11.7 to 14.1	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.7	3.4	1.09x	3.1 to 4.4	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.3	8.7	1.07x	8.3 to 10.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32.2	30.2	1.07xSignificant	30.4 to 34.1	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	152.4	143.2	1.06xSignificant	148.4 to 156.5	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7	6.6	1.06x	6.2 to 7.9	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	17.3	16.4	1.05x	13.8 to 21.3	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6	5.7	1.05x	5.2 to 6.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	14.6	13.9	1.05x	13.3 to 15.9	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5	4.8	1.04x	4.2 to 5.8	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	13.4	13	1.03x	12.1 to 14.8	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	456.1	453.4	1.01x	449 to 463.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	50.9	51.8	0.98x	48.6 to 53.3	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	4.4	4.6	0.96x	3.7 to 5.1	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.4 to 2.4	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	16.8	17.9	0.94x	15.4 to 18.2	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.1	6.6	0.92x	5.3 to 7	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.4	3.7	0.92x	2.8 to 4.1	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.6	18.5	0.9x	15.2 to 18	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	12.9	14.5	0.89x	11.7 to 14.3	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.4	6.2	0.87x	4.6 to 6.3	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	19.5	23.8	0.82x	18 to 21	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.6	4.4	0.82x	3 to 4.3	2020-2024

Mortality measures versus the U.S. county median

Source: County Health Rankings, built from CDC National Vital Statistics System death records. The comparison value is the median of all U.S. counties.

Mortality measures for New Castle County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,585.8	9,842.6	-13%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	77.1	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	55.2	59.8	-8%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.9	6.2	+12%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	99.8	96.9	+3%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	52.3	28.6	+83%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde19.21 per million
Ethylene Oxide7.34 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.99 per million
Acetaldehyde1.87 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 235 good, 4 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 44, peak 161.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,189 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Air permit holder (minor source)179
Rail grade crossing158
Gas station (mapped facility)142
Small hazardous waste generator123
Brownfield property112
NPDES wastewater discharge permit85
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)67
Large hazardous waste generator54
Industrial wastewater discharge53
Hazardous waste transporter41
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)33
Major air pollution source28
TRI reporting facility28
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)17
Large greenhouse gas emitter15
Superfund (NPL) site12
EPA air quality monitor7
Gas power plant6
Correctional facility (prison or jail)5
Public airport4
Heliport4
Landfill (mapped facility)4
Oil-fired power plant3
Solar power plant3
Commercial airport2
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)2
Biomass power plant1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Delaware City Refining Co Llc, Delaware City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $1,495,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001148598 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill, New Castle County
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 46.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED000605972 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Tybouts Corner Landfill, New Castle County
Superfund (NPL) site. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED000606079 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Standard Chlorine of Delaware, Inc., Delaware City
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 35.4. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED041212473 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Army Creek Landfill, New Castle County
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 69.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED980494496 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Delaware City PVC Plant, Delaware City
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 30.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED980551667 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Koppers Co., Inc. (Newport Plant), Newport
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 33.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED980552244 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. (Newport Pigment Plant Landfill), Newport
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 51.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED980555122 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Harvey & Knott Drum, Inc., Kirkwood
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 30.8. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED980713093 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Halby Chemical Co., New Castle
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 30.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DED980830954 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Hockessin Groundwater, Hockessin
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DEN000303920 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
East Basin Road Groundwater, New Castle
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DEN000304044 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Newark South Ground Water Plume, Newark
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID DEN000306877 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Delaware City Refinery, Delaware City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Hydrogen cyanide, Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Ammonia and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 26,444,139 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 19706TXCDL2000W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Croda Inc, New Castle
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $7,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000338652 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.7
Rogers Corporation - Bear, Bear
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $11,250.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000338484 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9
Sun Chemical, Newport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Xylene (mixed isomers), Biphenyl, Cyclohexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 151,795 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 19804CBGGYJAMES (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Edge Moor/Hay Road Energy Centers, Wilmington
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, n-Hexane, Naphthalene, Polycyclic aromatic compounds and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 67,273 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 19809DGMRH200HA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Nexpera - Red Lion Plant, New Castle
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Hydrogen sulfide, Hydrazine sulfate (1:1), Hydrazine. Reports carcinogens. 32,002 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 19706DPNTR766GV (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Croda Inc, New Castle
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Ethylene oxide, Methanol, n-Butyl alcohol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 30,228 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 19720CMRCSCHERR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Air Liquide Advanced Separations, Newport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, Methanol, Cyclohexane and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 16,676 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 19804MDLLP305WA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Rogers Corp - Bear, Bear
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Ethylbenzene, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 9,340 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 19701KNCRP1100G (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Agilent Techs Inc Newport Site, Newport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $53,920.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000338803 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Us Army National Guard River Road Training Site Range De, New Castle
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 8,302 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1972WRVRRD1197R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Croda Inc, New Castle
Major air pollution source. Penalties $7,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000338652 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

James T Vaughn Correctional Center - Smy, Smyrna
EPA FRS registry ID
110007354291
Water system
DE0000011
Health-based violations
2 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
6
Contaminants cited
Coliform (TCR)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, Wilmington
EPA FRS registry ID
110001409949
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
De Correctional Ctr/Webb Correctional Fa, Wilmington
EPA FRS registry ID
110016732286
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Ferris School Prison Industry Motor Pool, Wilmington
EPA FRS registry ID
110031329122
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
De Dept Of Corrections Womens Correction Institute, New Castle
EPA FRS registry ID
110054541509
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for New Castle County

Delaware state cancer registry
Cancer incidence counts by census tract or ZIP code, by cancer type and year (de-identified). Any cancer cluster inquiries or investigations in New Castle County, and their findings.
Delaware vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
Delaware health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
Delaware environmental agency and the U.S. EPA regional office
Compliance history, inspection reports, notices of violation, penalties and enforcement actions for each facility above, cited by EPA FRS registry ID.
Delaware drinking water program
Violation notices, sampling results and sanitary surveys for the public water systems serving the county, including any system serving a correctional facility.
Department of corrections or county sheriff
Water testing, grievances and environmental health inspections for the correctional facilities listed above.

Each Envyrofax address report includes a printable records request worksheet with the custodian and the exact request wording per finding.

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